Apparatus for plasticating thermoplastic materials



Oct. 25, 1949. 'i'.wAcHs 2,486,346

APPARATUS FOR PLASTICATING THERMOPLASTIC MATERIALS Filed Feb. 21, 1945 2 sheetsfs'heet 1 SCRAP RES/N F/L L EE F/,l l if@ /7 7' TORNEy OO il.

06h 25, 1949. T, WACHS 2,486,346

APPARATUS PoR PLASTICATING THERMOPLASTIC MATERIALS Filed Feb. 21, 1945 '2 sheds-sheet 2 y INVENTOR. THEUDURE WADHS irme/wy Patented Oct. 25, 1949 APPARATUS FOR PLASTICATING THERMO- y PLASTIC MATERIALS Theodore Wachs, Cynwyd, Pa.,l assigner to Radio Corporation of America, a corporation of Dela- Ware Application February 21, 1945, Serial No. 579,095

5 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for plasticating normally solid, thermoplastic material, and more particularly to an improved apparatus for preheating a thermoplastic mass prior -to the Inechanical operation thereon which renders the mass plastic. y

Materials which are thermoplastic in nature have found extensive use in imany and varied elds. In gener-al, a mass of solid, thermoplastic material is mixed with suitable fillers, pigments, lubricants, plasticizers, etc. and the mixture is heated and worked mechanically into a plastic mass suitable for molding. The thermoplastic material may be either a natural resin, such as shellac, `or any one or `more of a variety of synthetic resins, such as the phenol-formaldehyde resins, the vinyl resins, and the like.

One eld in which extensive use is made of various thermoplastic materials, and particularly shellac, is the phonograph record industry. Here, as in other elds or applications, the plas-tieating process as heretofore carried out has had certain inherent limitations mpairing the `efficiency of the process, and, as a consequence, making this process relatively costly. For example, the compound from which phonograph records are made has been mixed to a formula of ingredients each of which is reduced to a finely pulverized state. The compound consists essentially of a thermoplastic resin (usually shellac) which may exist in the formula over a Wide range, together with certain fillers, such as finely divided clays and iinely divided limestones, as well as small amounts of copal gum, stearine, carbon black, etc. In each case, the fundamental or basic ingredients of the compound are (1) a thermoplastic resin, and (2) an inert ller. After mixing these ingredients in the dry or powdered state, the solid mixture must be transformed into a plastic state for molding. In the case of shellac, this requires, fundamentally, that the 'entire mass be heated to about 27 0 F., which is the teemperature at which shellac will flow freely. Immediately thereafter, the ingredients are mixed under such a degree of pressure as will distribute reheating and use. In either event, they remain thermoplastic in nature and Will resoften upon being reheated. Once presented to a record pressing matrix in softened form, the biscuits can 5 be molded to finished records.

the softened shellac very intimately throughout A the entire mass of filler to the end that each particle of filler is actually enclosed in shellac. After such processing, the compound becomes a thermoplastic mass which can be rolled out on a sheeter to convenient thicknesses and sub-divided into units called biscuits The biscuits may then be passed either directly to the record-.presses Where the commercial records Iare pressed, or they may be cooled and sent to storage for subsequent 55 It was fairly conventional in the record pressing industry for many years (and this was more or less true of other similar industries, also) to convert batches of about 200 pounds of the mixed ,il powder to a plastic state on steam heated rolls somewhat simulating the process by which rubber was mixed with its several ingredients. While this lprocess was fairly successful, it was very laborious since it required constant shoveling and reshoveling of the powder mixture back onto the rolls until it had acquired enough heat for the resin to become softened and begin its process of plastication into a single mass.

Batches of the mixed, powdered material have also been plasticated in steam heated, mechanical mixers `which .usually consist of cast steel, steam-jacketed casings within which two or more heavy rotors revolve. The powder mixture is applied to Ithe rotors which, by a peculiar motion, force the powder under mechanical pressure alternatelyagainst the interior lining of the machine and then between themselves. This results in what may be described as a mulling or putty-kning action on the powdered mixture while o the mixture is being heated through the medium of the steam in the jacket. Fundamentally,

therefore, the mechanical mixers involve the aplplication of mechanical pressure to the mixture or charge simultaneously Iwith the heating there- 5 of. A custolrnary charge or batch of about 470 pounds requires approximately six or seven minutes for its completion bef-ore the machine is dumped, and approximately the rst half of the machines batch cycle time is devoted to the heating of the stock.

While the mechanical mixers offer many advantages over the steam heated rolls, they are nevertheless ksubject to the disadvantages that they are-expensive to install and operate and, even worse, are very poor forms of heating devices for the powdered charge. To heat an entire 470 pound charge from room temperature up to 270 F. requires that those portions of the charge adjacent tothe steam heated jacket must become over-heated in order to provide a temperature diierential which will insure the flow of heat to the remainder of the mass. This heating process, which requires some 3 to 31/2 minutes, causes a considerable portion of the shellac to become polymerized to some forms of complex compound which a-re no longer thermoplastic and which are very hard. Pieces of such hard compounds More particularly, it is an object of my present invention to provide an improved apparatus for preheating a solid mass of thermoplastic material prior to rendering the same plastic which will eiect heating the mass substantially uniformly and with great rapidity to the end that the time required for the entire plasticating process will be greatly reduced'.

Another object of my present invention is to provide an improved apparatus as aforesaid which will be relatively inexpensive both in initial cost and in use, and which will accomplish the desired results with great eiciency.

In accordance with my present invention, I reduce a solid mass of the material to be plasticated to a form presenting a Very greatly enlarged superficial area and heat the material in the latter form by means of a stream of hot gas, such as air. Thus, the original mass may be reduced to small, thin flakes, or to a ne powder or dust which is preheated in a continuous stream for flash heating, so to speak. In one form of heater, sheet steel piping may be connected to a suitable heating device for heating the air or other suitable gas therein, and the gas is blown through this pipe at a velocity of, say, five thousand feet per minute. The pipe terminates at its upper end in any suitable form of dust collector,'

such as av cyclone, for example, which separates the solid particles from the gas. The particles are introduced to the pipe at a point between the heating device and the cyclone separator at a predetermined rate by means of a suitable feeder, and the very finely divided particles are carried upwardly by the hot gas and have their temperal,

ture elevated almost instantaneously by the time they arrive at the cyclone.

ticle to be heated is insignificant as compared with its surface area.

In the cyclone or other separator, the heated particles are separated from the now somewhat cooled gas stream and are forced by gravity to the mouth thereof whence they may be passed immediately to the hopper of an extrusion type plasticator, or, if desired, to a Banbury or other suitable mixer for plastication. The cooled gas leaves from the topl of the cyclone and continues onward to the heater which reheats it, the hot gas thereafter being fed back to the cyclone and picking up more of the dust particles on its way. I have found that the compound can be passed all the way through sucha system to the mouth of the cyclone and the particles heated to substantially the flow or plasticating temperature so rapidly that there has not been time for an agglomeration of the particles to a single mass,

This phenomenonA v results from the fact that the mass of each parz Banbury or other suitable mixer to be worked by the rolls into a unified, plastic mass suitable for either direct molding or for sheeting and formation of biscuits therefrom. In any case, my improved method makes it possible to produce a plastic mass with less resin content, with a higher and finer homogeneity, with less power consumption, vwith less labor, and hence at a lower cost, yet yielding a better product in the end.

The novel features that I consider characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization, as well as additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description whenread in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is an elevational View, partly in section, of one form of apparatus utilizing my present invention,

Figure 2 isan enlarged, detailed view., partly in section, of the cyclone separatorv and the material recdeiving housing connected to the outlet thereof, an

Figure 3 is a fragmentary, detailed view of molding apparatus according to a preferred form of the present invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout, there is shown,

, in Figure 1, a number of supply bins I from which the solid ingredientsto be compounded into a plastic mass are supplied. These ingredients may comprise (l)- a resin, such as shellac, vinyl resin, or the like, (2) one or more llers, (3) usually a certain amount of scrap-material, and (4) certain other ingredients such as lubricants, plasticizers, and the like. These materials are all supplied to the bins I in a form in which the supercial area of the mass is exceedingly large compared to its volume. This form may be asne dust particles, as flakes, or the like. In the case of iine dust particles, they may be ground to a sizeof the order of up to 40 microns. Thus; for a three inch cube of solid resin, for example, when it is ground down to a ne powder or dust of approximately the size indicated above, its superficial area will have been increased to approximately 200 square feet while the total mass, of course, remains the same in each case.

The severalingredients are fed from the bins I to automatic weighingv machines 3 of any suitable type which weigh out prescribed amounts of each of the ingredients. The weighing machines 3- may be suitably interlocked for simuls-r taneous, manual control, and the quantities of the` materialsweighed. by them are supplied to an endless conveyor 5 which feeds the accumulated materials to a. conduit I leading to a mixer 9. The output of the mixer 9 is supplied to a feeder I I which may be a screw conveyor or the like.

The system for heating the fine dust particles supplied by the feeder II includes a heating device I3 to'which is connected a pipe I5 leading to afeeding station I'I.v A pipe IIJ-having a vertical portion- I9a and a horizontal portion I'9`b extends from the heating station I1 to a cyclone or other suitable separator 2| of a type adapted to remove from a gas any solid particles dispersed therein. A return pipe 23 connects the cyclone 2| with a powerful fan the output of which is connected through a short pipe 21 to the input of the heater I3. Thus, the heater I3, the pipe I5, the feeding station l1, the pipe I9, the cyclone 2|, the return pipe 23 the fan 25 and the short pipe 21 constitute and endless path for the passage of a stream of gas such as air, continuously around the system.

T-he air or other suitable gas may be heated to a temperature of about 280 F. and is forced through the system by the fan 25 at a speed of about 5,000 feet per minute. The line particles fed by the feeder I I to the feeding station I1 are picked up by the hot gas and they become dispersed therein so that the entire surface area of each particle becomes exposed to the hot gas which carries the dispersed particles through the pipe I9 to the cyclone 2|. The feeding station I1 is located at such a point, considering the speed and temperature of the hot gas, that, from the time the hot gas picks up the dust particles 29 at the feeding station I1 until it introduces the particles 29 into the cyclone 2|, these particles will have become heated to a temperature approximately the plasticating or flow temperature of the resin. In the case of shellac, for example, which flows at about 210 F., the hot gas may heat the ne particles 29 to temperatures within a range of from about 225 F. to 265 F. or thereabouts depending upon the degree of additional working or mulling to which the hot particles are to be subjected after they leave the cyclone 2|. For other resins, the temperatures will, of course, be different. In any case, it will be apparent that the dust particles 29 are heated with great rapidity (in fact, almost instantaneously) while being advanced by the hot gas from the feeding station I1 to the cyclone 2|.

The cyclone 2| serves to separate the hot particles 29 from the gas. The mixture of gas and dust particles is introduced into the cyclone tangentially, and the solid particles are forced around in a swirling, helical motion to the bottom of the cyclone, while the fan 25 draws the cooled gas through the return pipe 23 and feeds it back through the pipe 21 to the heater I3 which reheats the cooled gas and thereby replenishes the heat extracted from the gas by the particles deposited in the cyclone 2| In the form of my invention shown in Figures 1 and 2, the hot particles which accumulate in the cyclone 2| drop therein, by gravity, and are fed to a housing 3| until a prescribed batch of material has accumulated. The housing 3| has an opening 33 which communicates with the lower, output end of the cyclone 2| and which can be closed off by a slide or gate 35 controlled by an air cylinder 31. Within the casing 3| is a plunger 39 controlled by an air cylinder 4| and movable within the housing 3|, if necessary, to discharge an accumulated batch of hot particles through an opening 43 in the bottom thereof. The opening I3 can be closed by a slide or gate 45 which is controlled by an air cylinder 41. The air cylinders 31, 4| and 41 may be controlled to operate in timed relation by any suitable control mechanism not shown because it is immaterial to the present invention. Normally, the slide 45 is closed, the slide 35 is open, and the plunger 39 is at its uppermost position. Hence, the hot particles which drift down through the cyclone 2| fall through the opening 33 into the housing 3|. When a prescribed batch of hot particles has accumulated in the housing 3|, the slide 35 is automatically closed, the slide 45 is automatically opened, and the plunger 39 is automatically forced downwardly to discharge the batch through the opening 43 into a Banbury or other suitable mixer 49 which then works or mulls the hot particles into a unified, plastic mass. As soon as the batch is dumped or discharged from the housing 3|, the slide 45, which may be provided with a knife edge 45a at its forward edge to slice the batch clean at the opening 43, is closed, the plunger 39 is raised, and the slide 35 is opened whereupon a new batch is deposited from the cyclone 2| to the housing 3|. The unied, plastic mass produced by the mixer 49 may then be discharged to a sheeting machine 5| which formsv the plastic mass into suitable sheets. These sheets may then be cut up and the portions thereof used either for directly molding desired articles therefrom or for storage and subsequent reheating prior to molding. Obviously, While a mass of the hot particles is being worked or plasticated by the mixer 49, another preheated batch may be accumulating in the cyclone 2| and the housing 3|, thereby greatly reducing the overall plasticating cycle time.

Instead of feeding the hot particles 29 from the cyclone 2| through the housing 3| and thence to the mixer 49 for plastication, I prefer to feed the hot particles directly from the cyclone 2| to a suitable extrusion type molding machine 53, such as that illustrated in Figure 3. When such an arrangement is employed, the dust particles 29 are preferably heated to a temperature which closely approaches the plasticating temperature thereof so that the machine 53 will be required to perform a minimum amount of mechanical work on the hot particles to render them plastic. In any event, the machine 53 works the hot particles continuously into a unified, plastic mass and feeds this mass by means of a screw conveyor or the like 55 through a nozzle 51 where the plastic mass is formed into a useful article of desired shape. Of course, where the ultimate article is not to be formed by the molding machine 53, this machine may be used to extrude biscuits or the like useful for subsequent reheating and molding. In any case, it will be apparent that the total time during which the individual or discrete particles remain hot is very greatly reduced, thus greatly minimizing the possibilty of their polymerization since polymerization is a time-temperature phenomenon. This means, then, that an ultimate molded article of improved quality is obtained with my invention, and at much lower cost. y

Although I have shown and described my invention in considerable detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many other varial tions thereof, as well as changes in the particular arator of any suitable type.

forms described herein, are possible. Forexample, the separator 2| need not necessarily be a cyclone separator but may be some other sep- Moreover, under certain circumstances, it may be desirable to so .locate the feeding station with respect to the separator 2| and thus so time the passage ofv the powdered material 29 that it would change its state into a plastic mass While still within the system shown in Figure 1 or immediately at the end thereof, or the cycle may be so arranged and timed that the change of state of the particles 29 from a solid to a plastic is incipient at the instant". ofY leavingcthecycle 12|'. Furthermore, whilet havedescribedithe present invention `with lparticnlarfreference torthemanufacture oflphcno,

tgraphirecords; it shouldlbe `understood*that that-is -merelyfexemplary and that :the inventionis Eap- .p'licabiezgenerallytovthe leldi of molding plastics. I therefore: desire that :my `inventionisl'iall not. be Ilimiirecbexcept insofar as -is ymade: necessary by .thazpriorvart and 4by the vspirit-of .the appended .Claimsmz I elaimras ,my invention:

1. fInlapparatus forrplastica'ting a mass -ct solid, .thermoplastic :material :off particle size,` the combinationwofza lsource'of hot gas, a cyclone-sep- ;arammadapted-to separate lfrom said gas solid a y pmtticles dispersedtherein..y means A.for directing 'a .streamaofisaidhot gassfrcmsaid source to said 'separatonzalong-.a certain path; means for introducing said:particlesfintofisaid stream. atv a .point alongisaidzpath; whereby saidiparticleswillabecome dispersedmingsaid -hotigas and willtfbe-.Aheatecl ttmreby- While f being. delivered -:by. said stream =t0 said?,:se.paratcr,-L l -said separator then f serving yto separatevsaid heated vparticles f-romsaid gas, storsaid;path.;:f`1rst to Saidheatingdevice forheating Y lsaai-ideas.and .then to said separator for separatingzaffrom: said .gas any. solid particles dispersed therein; means for introducing said particles into ysaidsstrearnzatia point .between said heater and :sadseparatorin the direction of .flowrof said vstream whereby 'said particles will 4becomeclispersed-infsaidhot gasv and will be heated thereby while'being delivered .to said separator, said sep- ;arator then-serving to separate said-particles from -said gas, saidpgaseeding means thereafterI returningsaidlseparated gas to said heating 1 device forfreheating thereof prior to .being advanced to ;sa1id.p0int, stcragexmeans associated lwith said 'separatorfor receiving .and storing therein= said separated, fhot particles, .and plasticating means .associated-:withrsaidi storage means for receiving therefrom and Aeiecting plastication -of -said hot particles. into- ,a unied, plasticmass;A`

3. :In zappa-ratus ,for plasticating a -massof thermoplastic material of yparticle size,A the corn- .binaton-of 1a source of;.hot gas,- a separator adapted.,to-,separatezfrom said gas solid particles dispersed therein, said separator.. including an ,outletefor solid particlesmeans for directingfa streamrof. said hot gas from said source to said separator `along'a certain path, means for .intro- 4ducingasaidv particles into said. stream at a point alongsaid :pathewhereby said particles Willbe- .comedispersedinsaid hot gas and will beheated thereby `whilebeing delivered-bysaid stream 4to saidv separator,v said separator eth'en'- -fservingi r'to separate vsaidiheatedparticles from said lgasf-a'nd Ato:deliversaid;separatedparticleseto said:i outlet thereof; a housingassociated with said separator .for Ireceiving therefrom and temporarily. storing heatedi-particles: delivered theretofrom` said sep'- arator, and means'withinisaidhcusing for-periodicallyl expellingl `'therefrom'itheparticles temporarily storedv therein;

\ 4. Apparatusmacccrdingwto- Pclaim `3 "charac-.- terized nirtha'nsaidl housing includes.l arr inlet fin communication with said separator .outle'tf' and an outlet 'forth'a= particles temporarily stored therein-a rst closure-movable toiandvirom closing l -posi-tion cover` sa/id: -inlet' and .normally f maintainede'out Soi 4closingposition over-said 'inlet, andia second closure movableto'and from closin'gpositicn oversaidihousingfoutlet and ,normally maintained- --in closing -posit ioni overfsaidf flast nained-- outlet, :said hexpelling :means comprising 'a plunger'movablewithin said housing; and means associated-#with 'said Vclosureswandv with :said plunger `-ffor-'periodic'aflly closing said iirst closure tof shutl `oitfthe y further -supplyf of particles from saidfseparator -tolsaidfhousing, opening said second closure;v` and advancing said i lplunger in said housingtor thereby `expel '-the" particles Aaccumulated -therein 5. iInf apparatus -forplasticating a mass-ofsol-id, thermoplastic lmaterial orparticle Isizeythe combination-'of a 'heatingdeviea fa separator spaced freni-said 4'heating vdevice-and adaptedv` tolseparate ironia `gas solid-particles dispersedmh'ereinprneans providing an endless :path-whichincludes'f in-suo+ cession said-1heating- -device and said separator, said; means containinga gasfthereing-means for feeding said gas -ina stream fcontinuouslyl around said; path rstl'tosaidheating device `for heate ing-said gas andth'en totsaid'separatory `for separatinglfrom saidgasfany solidparticles-dispersed therein, -and` means for introducingfsaid particles intol saidistreamat-a point between said heater and said separator in the direction ofdflowmof said -stream Wwhereby saidi yparticles--willi-become dispersedn saidhot gas-f-andwilloe heated'thereby-whiie llceiingdeliVeredMto said separator., said separatorfthenserving -to-'separatei said particles from lsaid gas; and said I gas feedingmeans there` after returning said separated gas to said I heatiing ldevice #for `retreating lth'ereofprior to being advanced to isaid point;

THEGDORE 'JWACHSif- REFERENGES 'CIBED The;followinglreferencesare .of record inlthe file of.,this .patent.:

UNITED "STATES PATENTS .s

Number.. Name Date 48528.2. Lang. Nov. 1, '18.92 729,009. Sutton et.a1.... May 26, 190.3

1,448,430.. Brown Mar. 13, 11923 1,558,751,- Nueslze. Octi 27.; 19125 1,'181,352,. Tolman.,.--.--.. Nov. 11, .193.0 1,980,499. Pfaff. .-A Nov. .13,;.19.34 2,235,324- Moreland. .Man 18, 5194-1 2.291505., Schmidberger..- .Sept 29., .19.42 2,300,041.. Caldwell Oct. 27; [19.42 23.98.6152.., Stenberg.. .--s Jan. 19,1943 2,340,834. Hanson Feb. 1, .1954 

